A 18-year-old British teenager, Axel Rudakubana, pleaded guilty to murdering three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event in Southport, northern England in July. The victims were Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9.
Rudakubana also admitted to 10 charges of attempted murder and producing the deadly poison ricin. A life jail term is expected, according to Judge Julian Goose. The victims’ families were not present in court as the prosecution’s opening statement was delayed until Tuesday.
Initially, Rudakubana refused to confirm his name, but after consulting with his lawyer, he changed his pleas from not guilty. British-born Rudakubana was arrested shortly after the attack and had initially refused to speak during previous hearings. The incident is being treated as a domestic violence case, despite the discovery of an al Qaeda manual.
Following the murders, riots broke out in Southport, spreading across Britain with attacks on mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers. Prime Minister Keir Starmer blamed the riots on far-right thuggery, with over 1,500 people arrested.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/20/uk/southport-knife-attack-guilty-plea-intl/index.html